


It’s not being late; it’s being best for last

by Auto_Alchemechanicist



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: AU, F/M, FrUK, M/M, One-sided AusHun, PruHun, cheating wife, colonial AU, mentions of AusHun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-11-12
Packaged: 2018-02-22 16:17:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2514077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auto_Alchemechanicist/pseuds/Auto_Alchemechanicist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It hurt to see her in the arms of another, but Gilbert Beilschmidt knew better than to question Elizabeta Hedervary’s love for him. Upon his return from war, an affair in which only time has control over develops, and Gilbert and Elizabeta must play their cards right if they don’t want for it to come to light. Roderich Edelstein’s intelligence should not be underestimated, however.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> I promised myself I would write something if I felt very strongly about it. Guess what, I feel very attached to this au and I want to do something with it. Yes, I have no shame. Read at your own risk. If you don't like it that Hungary would cheat on Austria to be with Prussia, then do not read this. Proceed if you would like to know how this story unfolds. :3 I hope you all enjoy.

**Chapter I**

If one could reflect on what was occurring, they may think it would be an immoral thing to do. Even the most trusted could commit unfaithful acts sometimes and Elizabeta Hedervary-Edelstein was no exception. If anyone was the exception to the rule, then they have not been discovered yet since everyone went through a time of uncertainty at least once in their life.

Elizabeta Hedervary-Edelstein was no exception.

The ruffling of clothes was the only sound that filled the room, and the sound of a very pleased Hungarian escaped from her lips as she felt a jolt of excitement along the side of her neck. Elizabeta Hedervary-Eldestein was in bed with the man she loved, and she was more than willing to let him touch her in any way he wanted. She had long before granted him permission to do so, even before the time she let herself become his one warm autumn night. She gripped at his hair and tilted her head back to allow him better access to her body, which the man appreciated since he, too, let out a low moan from the back of his throat.

Too bad she had to hide this from her husband. It was a true shame she had to keep something so beautiful to herself, but not a word of what was going on could or should reach her husband’s ears, if she wanted to come out of her home alive. And if she wanted for her lover to keep his head. She was not in bed with Roderich Edelstein. Elizabeta Hedervary-Edelstein was in the arms of Gilbert Beilschmidt, the man she swore she loved more than her own life.

He was an idiot, she had to admit.

And it was his fault this was even happening. She could never let that blame for him go, since he was the one that made her wait until her last nerve.

As childhood friends, these two knew each other quite well. Her parents had never approved of the Beilschmidt boy simply because he was a wild, free spirit. It wasn’t as if he lacked self-control; his own father would have a leash on him to keep him at bay, but Gilbert was an independent soul. He was no ignorant fool. He was knowledgeable in military tactics, after joining the Royal Prussian Army, and he soon rose in the ranks to become a commanding officer. It wasn’t all that fancy, according to Gilbert, but he had some authority and he felt rather smug about it.

Elizabeta had always been proud of him, despite what she said and despite her concerns of him being killed in the battlefield. The loose-cannon in him allowed him to escape death on multiple occasions, and he would boast to her any chance he had.  
The Hungarian had found herself falling in love with the boy with unusual hair and eyes she had come to know all too well, and upon trying to hide it, she discovered he, too, had developed feelings for her. He made it quite obvious to her, whereas she hid it well before deciding to try and return the feelings she had for him. She had never known how strongly she could love somebody, but with Gilbert, it was the very first time that she felt like she could be herself. She felt free, she felt strong, and she felt independent.

Gilbert never told her anything about being lady-like. On the contrary, he enjoyed the fact that she could be just as boyish as him. They shared a common love for hunting, something Elizabeta’s father would never forgive her for if he had ever found out. She enjoyed fishing and swimming with Gilbert, and he was the only one that had had faith in her so she could develop a sense of self-defense. He never denied her a request, even if he had been hesitant to teach her how to use a sword or even hold a gun. How Elizabeta was able to escape from her home to do all these things in the afternoons with Gilbert was beyond her. But they bonded, and soon, Gilbert began to feel something more for Elizabeta, something he could not explain in military strategies or in his own German language. It was…incomprehensible, but he did not care.

There came a time when war broke out, and without question, Gilbert was drafted to fight against the enemy of the country. Before his departure, he had planned to tell Elizabeta just how he felt, to establish something with her so that when he would return, she would be there for him to come home to. The opportunity never came. His hesitance cost him dearly since he did not get the chance to do so. The enemy attacked without a single warning, not that he had even expected one, and he was forced to go to the front lines where he would give commands.

Upon hearing the news, Elizabeta developed a great worry for him, but weeks, months, years passed by, and she did not hear from him. She tried telling herself that it was because of the military that he was not able to say goodbye, not because he didn’t want to. Nor was it because he didn’t love her…

But time passed, and as it did so, her faith in him began to crumble. Why had he not returned? What was taking him so long? Did he find some other girl to love and form a family with? Did he abandon her? So many questions rushed through her mind every day, and she could not handle how lonely she felt, because she missed him. She missed his warmth. She missed his clever ways. And she missed the way he would make her feel safe. After some time, her parents had gathered prospects for her to choose and marry. She did not wish to displease them, but she did not want to marry someone she knew she would not love. She understood her parents wanted for her to have a husband, to have a family, to have a home to tend to, but even if she tried to coax herself into these things, a part of her hated what she was doing. She had to forget about Gilbert, even if it hurt, and move on.

She would never admit how upset she really was. Her parents had been glad for Gilbert’s departure because it left the road open for their daughter to continue with her life in a proper direction. They thought Elizabeta would be miserable by Gilbert’s side, but what they failed to realize was that their daughter was already miserable. But that was because of Gilbert’s absence. It broke her heart to have to leave him behind since he was the only person that made Elizabeta feel different. No prospect would ever compare to him. Nobody would ever take his place. Nobody would ever fill her heart the way Gilbert did. With his throaty laugh and his daring personality, she doubted anybody would ever make her feel as angry as she did whenever she and Gilbert argued. She felt alive with him, and she felt fire and passion. There was always excitement with him, and that’s what she had enjoyed. However, because he was not around, Elizabeta became upset. She refused to consider anybody else for years until her parents decided it was high time she’d marry. This made Elizabeta immensely distressed and saddened. It was one thing to try and get her to see other people, but forcing her was completely different. They told her they knew what was best for her, but Elizabeta knew that there would never be anybody that would replace Gilbert, and that truly shattered her heart into the tiniest pieces imaginable. He hadn’t come back and she missed him dearly, but time was running out for her and she was forced to choose someone.

Roderich Edelstein was charming. He was…probably what any woman would want in a husband, really. He was handsome, he was sophisticated, he was wealthy, he had an air of elegance and class, and he knew how to treat a woman properly. Elizabeta had to admit she had developed a sort of attraction towards him, but not enough to call love. No, that word was only to be used for one person, and it was not Roderich. This is how things worked, though. If parents wanted their daughter to be wed to a man they thought was fit, it did not matter what she would say. She would marry him, even against her will, and there was not a thing she could do about it. Her wedding was beautiful and everything was lovely. Her gown had felt as if angels had made it themselves, and Elizabeta could not have looked more stunning. She feigned happiness well, and she even pretended that she loved Roderich just so that she could believe it herself. It didn’t work, though, and she knew she would not be happy from then on out.

She was right.

No more afternoons out hunting, or fishing, or swimming. No more walks through the forest. No more wielding swords for practice and fun. The fun had stopped when Gilbert left, and all that was left was the memory. The reason Elizabeta still did these things was because they reminded her of him, and she had hoped many times that when he would come back, he would find her out in the woods hunting small animals, or trying to coax fish into her pouch. But he never came. And when she married Roderich, she could not continue this lifestyle. Everything changed for her. She had expected to become a housewife while Roderich worked; to cook, clean, keep things in line, and place a plate with warm food on the table for Roderich to find when he would return from work, while his wife would be waiting for him to come eat. That would have been a more active lifestyle than the one she actually had.

To her, the life she had was boring. There was no dynamic, no excitement, and no change in routine. Yes, she and Roderich would go out at times, but other than that, Elizabeta became like a prisoner to her own house. The maids did everything for her and she wasn’t allowed to do things for herself, much to her dismay. She could not voice out her complaints, however, since the walls had ears and anything she said could be reported to Roderich. People may have thought that being a wealthy wife was wonderful, but they did not know that she was sitting down all day, or walking around the house all day, or knitting all day to keep herself entertained. Elizabeta felt useless. This was not the kind of lifestyle she wanted for herself. She had pictured herself as a happy woman, and at one point she had thought it would be best if she didn’t marry at all. She was too independent for those sorts of commitments, especially if she was married to someone like Roderich. From how frustrated she was, she didn’t allow him to touch her. Even if he was her husband, she did not feel comfortable going to bed with him. Yes, she could sleep beside him, but she felt great discomfort just thinking about someone touching her body. She didn’t love Roderich enough for that, and her body was the only thing that was hers that had not been stripped of its autonomy. She was glad that he could at least respect her decision.

During an occasion in which Roderich took Elizabeta out into the city for an opera—a gentleman by the surname Mozart had been the composer, from what Elizabeta was told—she had wished she had stayed home that evening. As she and her husband headed towards the opera house, she saw a rather dashing man with silver hair giving his back to the establishment. She had tried her hardest not to stare, but the unusual hair color inevitably caught her attention. It took all of her will power not to let go of Roderich’s arm just to go confirm her suspicion. Because if it had been him, she wouldn’t have known how to react. He was waving at someone, and she didn’t know why she felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of him expecting a woman to join him. But a woman never came. Instead, two gentlemen arrived and greeted him. Both were blond, but they had different colored eyes, and she couldn’t help thinking they were his acquaintances. A third man with tan skin joined the group, and she could faintly hear the laugh of the man she had thought of.

Gilbert Beilschmidt was at the opera house with his friends, and Elizabeta couldn’t help thinking she needed to hide. He could not see her with Roderich! She would not allow him to do so!

But why should she be scared of him? Why on Earth should she fear what he would have to say? Wasn’t he the one at fault for taking so long to return? If he had just hurried up and come home after the war ended, she wouldn’t be in this situation. But, unfortunately, she was. And she couldn’t help thinking he would hate her the moment he would see her with her husband.  
Like all things that have a bad start, the evening turned out to be a nightmare for both Gilbert and Elizabeta. Gilbert did see her, and when he laid eyes on her, he actually bolted to reach her. But when he saw that a man with glasses wrapped his arms around her, Gilbert halted himself. What was going on? Who was this guy? Why was Elizabeta with someone else?! Did…did he come too late? Did he somehow let too much time pass for him to return? It didn’t matter. He tried to swallow a lump he felt stuck in his throat, but it was nothing and what he was feeling inside was both rage and disappointment in himself. Whoever said life wasn’t fair was absolutely right. The knot in his throat would not go down and he had to will himself not to become either emotional or angry.

Elizabeta turned at that moment, and she locked eyes with the man that stood a few meters away from her. She gasped out of instinct and held herself back. Oh, how she longed to run to him and embrace him! It was what she had dreamed to do on so many nights, even after she married Roderich. But she could not do such a thing. Roderich would question her and she would have to come up with some excuse just to explain. But she could not predict Gilbert’s words, so she would not risk it. The only way she was able to break the eye contact was when Roderich spoke up when she did not walk forward with him. He looked at Elizabeta for a moment before directing his attention to the man with silver hair.

“Did you need anything, sir?” he asked, his tone rather unfriendly.

“Nope, nothin’ at all, Specks,” Gilbert answered with a shrug. “Just looking for the entrance to go into the show.”  
It had been a messy lie, in Elizabeta’s opinion, but she didn’t know if Roderich bought it or not. He simply pulled her with him so they could enter the opera house and take their seats.

Gilbert had to hold himself back, partly because he knew Elizabeta would not appreciate a scandal. No, the approach had to be private, and with her consent, but he found out that through his attempts, it was difficult to do so.

They somehow found their way around obstacles and were able to meet. Roderich hadn’t suspected much yet, even if a few months had passed since Elizabeta and Gilbert had caught up. But would Roderich ever suspect that that encounter at the opera house would be the first step to entice his wife to cheat on him? Only time would tell, and in life, no secrets could be kept in the dark for too long since everything always came to light, sooner or later.

Elizabeta just hoped that it would be later than sooner.

For the time being, the Hungarian would enjoy the afternoon filled with ecstasy beside her Prussian lover. The kisses Roderich would give her were nothing compared to the ones Gilbert would secretly steal. They were passionate and love-filled, whereas Roderich’s were hollow and emotionless. She knew her husband tried, but she would never let herself give in to his charm completely, which is why she would think of those kisses being like that. She didn’t think she would ever give in to anybody’s charm, really.

However, Gilbert Beilschmidt was the exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accents give me a headache, so let's pretend Eli's last name always has invisible accents.
> 
> Just so people know, even though I don't like AusHun, I like Austria!!! I will make him have a happy ending, too!!! 
> 
> I really want to keep going with this because the idea is just there and I don't want to suddenly stop writing. ;w; A very big heads up, I will include the pairing FrUK in this story, just so people know. 
> 
> Let me know what y'all think. uwu
> 
> -Auto-


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It hurt to see her in the arms of another, but Gilbert Beilschmidt knew better than to question Elizabeta Hedervary’s love for him. Upon his return from war, an affair in which only time has control over develops, and Gilbert and Elizabeta must play their cards right if they don’t want for it to come to light. Roderich Edelstein’s intelligence should not be underestimated, however.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting, Julia. *^* I hope you enjoyed chapter 2 as well. :3
> 
> For some reason, writing for characters is WAY easier than rping them. That's a very good thing if I want to write about a character. xD
> 
> Let me know what you guys think. ouo
> 
> -Auto-

**Chapter II**

The opera house was like a stepping stone.

Gilbert thought he wouldn’t be able to see Elizabeta now that she was…well, married. It pained him to have to think about that, wrap the situation around his head, but he had to accept what had happened. There was a fighting instinct in him that wished to march right up to the man in glasses and imply some brute force so he could take the Hungarian away. But that was not the way to go. He had learned that if he wanted to get things done, there had to be grace. During his childhood, there had been people that had told him he had no such thing, and it offended him to no end. How dare they say he lacked such an important feature? Throughout his years in the army, he discovered what it was really like to develop what people called ‘grace’. He was more reckless than elegant, he had to admit, and he liked it that way because there was no way in hell he was going to be a sissy Prussian that just sat there and let other people fight for him. No! Those that worked at what they wanted would eventually reach their goals, now wouldn’t they? So if he wanted to have things done right, he would do it himself, and he would do it with grace.

What’d that guy have that he didn’t anyway? From his accent, he thought he was probably Austrian, but he couldn’t be too sure until he would confirm it. He knew for a fact he couldn’t be Prussian; no man from his country could be as girly as that man that was at the same entertainment house as him. He looked girly, anyway. How could Elizabeta like someone like that? Gilbert knew he wasn’t the classiest person out there, but he made up for it by being clever. At least, he thought himself to be so when he thought of plans to carry out.

It was a surprise to see her out in the town the following day, and she was alone, too. Where was her husband? He had thought that by the way he pulled her around the previous evening, she would be at his feet. Bah, he was underestimating her! He was still bitter and hadn’t recovered from the sudden news that hit him, but deep down, he knew that Elizabeta was still the same wild girl he had met when they were children. He was hoping she would see him because it would be pretty obvious to everyone if he were to come by her and drag her behind a wall so they could talk. Nobody could find out about what was going on. Nothing had even started, but he knew very well that something was inevitable. He willed her to look at him with his eyes, casually glancing at her as he stood by a tent with goods to be sold. It took some patience from his part, but after a while she was able to turn around and noticed him with a grin on his face as his eyes bore into hers.

She looked both ways, making sure people weren’t observing them, before she began to walk away from the market. Signaling him with her hand to follow him, a casual swing of her arm forward, she led him to a quieter area, one where they would not be disturbed or interrupted. Looking around, the Prussian followed after a few moments, tucking his hands into his coat pockets as he made his way toward her.

But when he reached her, he felt ice along his back. The fact that she was married stung him, but by the way she glared at him, he could tell she was hurt as well.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, turning his gaze away from her so he wouldn’t see how angry she had become.

“How do you want me to be, then?” she asked, crossing her arms. “Do you want for me to be happy about the way things are turning out?”

“Well, are you?”

It was Elizabeta’s turn to look away now. “Of course not. But there are some things that are out of my control.”

Gilbert was pensive for a moment as he played with his bottom lip, forming a pout every so often. Sighing, he directed his gaze to her. “I honestly thought you loved me, you know?”

A gasp of indignation left her lips. “What about you? Don’t you think I feel the same way? Do you think I’ve done this because my heart _wants_ to?”

“Then, why would you marry someone whom you would not bother to love?” Gilbert asked. If he was being honest with himself, he would say that out of all the things that had offended him in his life, this was one of the biggest offenses. If not the biggest one to date.

“Because you took too long to come back.” The answer came as a stab to his gut, and Gilbert hadn’t expected for that to be the reason. He must have known that, though, because even he had figured that after the war, he did take a couple of years to look at a few things. What Elizabeta didn’t know was that what he was doing was for her. Now, he really was too late. “My parents’ patience ran thin, and they arranged for me to marry Roderich. If you think this was out of spite, you are incorrect. I had no control over what happened…and quite frankly, I had no idea you would pop out of the blue so suddenly.”

Her words reached his ears, but he had stopped processing after a while. The only thought that ran through his mind was that he really was a fool. What a mistake he had done to take a few years to come back. Of course she wouldn’t be waiting for him forever! She had a life, too! But she wasn’t happy. At least, she didn’t look like it.

“But now?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he tried to keep himself from letting this get him emotional.

“I’m not sure what you expect me to do,” she said. “I…I cannot betray Roderich. Even if I don’t love him, he has been immensely kind to me. If I am ungrateful, what kind of person would I be?”

A happy one, perhaps. That was the answer Gilbert wanted to give her and the thought that she had as well, but neither of them would say it out of fear of seeing the other’s reaction.

“I suppose I can’t blame you. It is my fault, after all.”

“Yes, it is,” Elizabeta nodded. Tears had welled up in her eyes, but she fought to keep them from falling. She always hated to let him see her cry; it made her feel weak. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to head home. My husband will be there soon and I must be present for his return.”

Would they ever know how much those words actually hurt? It pained Gilbert to hear them, and it pained Elizabeta to say them, but even if their chests hurt from feeling constricted, their pride would get in the way, and for that moment, they would not say a word about it. With the massive ache in his heart, he let her go, and he honestly thought that would be the end for them. He hadn’t known how wrong he was.

The encounter that was able to define whether or not they would meet again was one pleasant autumn morning that turned a tad bit sour.

Elizabeta had decided to go out and look for some cloths she could use to keep herself entertained at home. There was never much to do, and she didn’t have many friends (or at least some she could trust), so she figured doing something with her hands would keep her busy until the evenings came. One of the servants had told her he would go with her, but she refused his company, stating she wished to be able to do some errands for herself. There were soldiers around the merchant area and along the dock, and she wondered if Gilbert was around in his uniform. She shook the thought out of her mind, trying to focus on what she came for, and looked away from the soldiers. There was a flurry of colorful cloths, and she wished she had brought more money to buy them all. After picking out a few that she liked, Elizabeta walked towards the front to purchase them when she heard a commotion.

It’s not like she would go out that often, but whenever she did, there was never really a riot of any sort. This was different. Or perhaps the atmosphere was to blame since there were so many merchants in one location and there was a higher chance of someone stealing something from under their noses until they took notice. She walked away from the cloth booth and headed towards the source of the crowd, hearing how women were beginning to mutter amongst themselves. It was the more notable noise out of them all, and Elizabeta began to hear things like ‘She deserves it’ and ‘What an insolent fool.’

Was a woman in the middle of this? She made her way through the people and suddenly a young lady, maybe around her own age, lied on the floor. Her shoulder-length hair was in disarray, and her dress had become dusty, patches of dirt decorating the light-green colored skirt. In front of her was a soldier, who was not too happy to be standing before her. His expression had so much anger in it that Elizabeta swore she could feel the heat of his face from where she stood. In his hand was a sword, and that’s when the Hungarian’s eyes widened with horror at just what was to happen. Even if that girl had done something wrong, there was no need to kill her in front of everyone like that! She looked around, but nobody had made a single move to go and help her. What was wrong with all these people?! Had they no values?

Elizabeta became desperate, worry washing over her as she looked for something to use to help her. Men usually carried weapons around with them, right? Well, except Roderich because he said it was rude and unnecessary. She had thought he was a wuss for having such thoughts because she could think of a thousand ways in which a weapon could be useful. After a few moments, her eyes were able to spot something she could use. A man that was a few meters away had what looked to be a dagger along his hip, and even if she would get in trouble, she rushed to him and without a word, she unsheathed it forcibly from its covering before she rushed to the girl and the soldier. Elizabeta hadn’t noticed she had been wrong about the dagger. It was actually much longer, and for that she would find a better use for it. The soldier’s sword had been raised at the girl, and just as he decided to let it come down at her, Elizabeta clashed the blade she had in her hands with his, putting all the strength she had into pushing it back.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

She hadn’t expected for his voice to be so piercing, but she didn’t let that shake her as she tried to match his brute force. “I could ask you the same question!” she yelled back.

Unfortunately, the soldier was much stronger than her, and with a swift push from his arms, he sent her falling back, right next to the girl that was to be slashed publicly.

“Wench, you do not meddle with military affairs,” the soldier barked as he recovered from the sudden block. “You have no right to go defending someone that has disrespected us.”

“You talk about respect as if you deserve it,” Elizabeta said. “All I’ve seen is all of you molesting people, just because you have some sort of authority for wearing those uniforms. Didn’t your mother ever teach you some manners or how to be a gentleman?”

“Do not bring my mother into this, you impertinent girl!”

“But she is a woman, too. If she had ‘disrespected’ you, as you so harshly phrased it, like the way you claim this girl has done, would you have slashed your mother as well?” There were lots of things Elizabeta had learned over the years, and one of those things was to use the motives of people against them.

The soldier walked forward. “Do not speak unless I instruct you to do so,” he said with a low growl.

The commotion had reached farther into the city, and many people had come to gather around and see what was happening.

“You give orders as if you were the commander yourself,” a voice came from the edge of the crowd.

With annoyance, the soldier turned to look at who had spoken. His expression changed when he saw who the voice belonged to. “Lieutenant Colonel…”

The man that inflicted so much intimidation walked towards him, and the crowd seemed to hush when he did so. “What do you think you’re doing, soldier?”

Elizabeta’s eyes had gone as wide as the soldier’s, but it wasn’t out of fear. It was out of relief. Gilbert was the one that had set so much fear into the soldier, plus the others that accompanied him.

“I-I was putting these disrespectful women in their place, sir!”

Gilbert looked over at them, and shook his head. “You were gonna do that by killing them?! Has the army taught you nothing? Have you spent your time training, just so you can come to the middle of a merchant area to kill two women? If that is the case, leave my sight right now. You are not trained to kill pedestrians. You are trained to fight for your country, and if you dare do something like this again, I will personally make sure you get discharged and never admitted back. Do you understand?”

The soldier had gone quiet. The threatening tone in Gilbert’s voice was like the cutting edge of his blade. No one spoke against him. No one defied him. No one refused his orders.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Gilbert seemed to be satisfied with this and for that, he gave the soldier a condescending smile. “Now, then. I want for you to politely go up to these two ladies, help them up, and apologize to them for your rude behavior. And I want for you to do it _NOW_!”

Without a second thought, the soldier scrambled with his feet and rushed towards the two women on the ground and hastily helped them up, saying things like ‘Excuse my conduct’ and ‘I’m sorry, it will not happen again!’. Out of nervousness, he began to dust off their skirts, trying to get them to be as clean as possible.

“That’s enough, soldier. _Don’t touch them_. Didn’t your mother tell you never to touch women without their consent? Mein Gott, I have to teach all of you morality around here? What am I, a priest?” Gilbert was annoyed by this person already, and to show it, he rubbed his temples in exasperation. He looked around at the people that were standing in the crowd afterwards. “You all can go back to minding your own business, folks. Show’s over. Keep on going with your purchases.”

The people began to disperse when they heard the order, and after making sure he wasn’t in ear-shot distance from them, he came towards Elizabeta and the other girl. “Are you okay?”

“For the most part,” Elizabeta answered. “Thank you. I think he would have really killed us if you hadn’t stepped in.”

“Yeah, you had a pig for a soldier. Sorry about that.” Gilbert turned to look at the girl with messy hair. “I suggest staying away from any soldiers. They tend to get offended for every little thing, miss.”

“I noticed,” she said with a sheepish smile before thanking him. “Apologies for what happened. My brother has told me my tongue will be the death of me…”

Gilbert snorted. “I know that story. I think I can attest to having a loose tongue, too, so don’t feel too bad.”

“They should still have more respect for women, though,” Elizabeta huffed.

“Most of the soldiers and even the commanding officers are like that, so don’t hope for too much from the military,” Gilbert said.

The Hungarian gave him a look, telling him with her eyes he was making himself sound like a hypocrite.

“I said ‘most’. And as you noticed, I didn’t let him slay you, so that should say a lot about me.” Not to mention she _knew_ him since they were kids, if that helped _at all_. “The point is, just don’t mess with them. Not all men are nice or sophisticated.”

After saying that, Gilbert looked past the girl and his attention went to the tall figure that stood behind her. As if to claim her as his, he set a firm hand on her shoulder and the man with spiky hair looked down at them. “I told you not to talk to soldiers, Belle.”

“I know, but I thought he would make a good customer,” the girl said with a sigh.

“Soldiers are not worth our time. Make sure you remember that.”

By the way he spoke, he obviously didn’t give a rat’s ass about what those soldiers could do to him for saying such things. He was lucky Gilbert wasn’t too anal about that or else he would have done away with him already. He did raise an eyebrow in question at him, though, and the earned him an irritated look from the man. “Are you Dutch?”

“That is none of your concern. I only speak about business, not my nationality. Or small talk. Unless you are going to buy something from our ship, I am not interested in what you have to say,” the man deadpanned.

Did he not see what was going to happen to his sister? Did he not see when Gilbert stepped in to help her?

“Brother, this man saved me. Be a little more gentle about it,” Belle advised, looking up at him.

“I am grateful for your gesture, but I hope you are not expecting some kind of reward. This needs to be a learning experience for her so she makes sure to be more careful in the future.” ‘Brother’ may have sounded harsh, but Elizabeta figured he would have his reasons for being distant and cold.

“I don’t do my job to take money from civilians, Dutchman.” It was almost insulting to Gilbert, what ‘Brother’ said.

“Good for you, Prussian. Most soldiers aren’t like you, though, so you can understand why I have no respect for any of your kind. Now, if there is nothing else to be said, I will take my sister so we can continue our sales.”

Watching as they walked away, Gilbert and Elizabeta stood beside each other until the two Dutchmen disappeared.

“Someone’s grouchy,” Gilbert commented.

“I have to agree with you,” Elizabeta nodded. She turned and began to walk, wanting to get away from the merchant area.

“Oh, come on. It’s not like I’m made of poison, Liz.”

“I never said you were. I was trying to get away from these scandalous people so we could have a private conversation.”

Oh. He turned as well and joined her, walking to where she directed until they were able to disappear from all the noise. There was an awkward silence at first, since neither of them knew what they should say. The last time they had seen each other, it had ended in a sour note, and Gilbert had thought Elizabeta didn’t want anything to do with him.

“I’m all yours. What’d you wanna tell me?” he asked.

“Why were you gone for so long?” The question came as a surprise. He had expected for her to ask why on Earth he had saved her or why he was even still here, but something like this made him feel guilt inside of him.

Letting out a sigh, he took a seat on the short stone fence and looked at the ground for a moment. “I was looking for a decent place where we could have gone to live. I’ve…actually gotten tired of being with the military, but I was granted permission to move around for a while in order to search places since I did awesome contributions for the war. I wanted to see if there was a nice place in France or England. I heard there were also colonies being made in the New World, but it seems so far away, and only English citizens are able to go, unless we became indentured servants. No way in hell was I gonna let you be one of those.”

If Gilbert would have said anything else, Elizabeta would have slapped him. If he would have said he needed time to think, or he needed a little space from her, or even if he had said he wanted to explore new places for fun, she would have walked away. But his words, his intentions…they made her choke back a sob she didn’t really know she had until her eyes welled up with tears, and she had to cover her mouth in order to keep the gasp to herself. It didn’t work, and Gilbert rushed to his feet in order to comfort her. There were no rules at the moment, just instinct and intuition. He embraced her, trying to calm her down as she settled her face on his shoulder. How dare he be this sweet?

“You idiot,” she whispered. It would have been nice to know this, since she would have been happy while waiting for him instead of wondering if he was dead! “Were you…able to find a place, though?”

A chuckle left Gilbert’s lips. “Yep. But you’d have to learn some weird French to fit in.”

This confused her, but it also made her giggle. “I suppose England was out of the question because of that citizenship issue.”

Gilbert nodded. “My first choice was actually France, but there’s a bunch of complications going on, and I’d rather go into a place that has less problems to worry about. So I chose Belgium.” Whether they were going to be able to get there or not would be the real issue…

Elizabeta wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She didn’t have words for any of this. Just thoughts and a desire to somehow thank Gilbert for having thought of all of this. Without putting a single thought into it, she cupped his face and leaned in to kiss him. Damn him. Damn him for being the person he was, for being the man she loved, and for being the most wonderful man she could have ever met.

She hadn’t realized it, but the moment she let her lips settle on his, a sudden affair began between the two. And even if it was not fair for Roderich, who deserved a faithful and loving wife, Elizabeta would let herself be consumed by her feelings for Gilbert.

She missed the feeling of adrenaline, but with him by her side, she had found it once again.


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It hurt to see her in the arms of another, but Gilbert Beilschmidt knew better than to question Elizabeta Hedervary’s love for him. Upon his return from war, an affair in which only time has control over develops, and Gilbert and Elizabeta must play their cards right if they don’t want for it to come to light. Roderich Edelstein’s intelligence should not be underestimated, however.

**Chapter III**

“What did you find along your way when you went to France?”

Gilbert began to laugh at the memory. “I didn’t find a ‘what’. I found a ‘who’. The complication I told you about, it was actually a conflict that came from this person.”

Elizabeta became curious and encouraged him to talk about it.

“You never met my mother, did you?” he asked.

When she thought about it, she had only met his father, and his younger brother, Ludwig. But through her memories, she had never once seen him have a mother. “What happened to her?”

“It’s a rather…long story. My parents weren’t exactly ‘married’. They…had a romance when they were younger, and had a set of twins.”

Elizabeta had been drinking something when she and Gilbert met the following day, and she had to hold back the contents in her mouth if she wanted to avoid spilling them all over Gilbert. “You have another brother?”

“…You could say that,” Gilbert chuckled. “This is where the complications start, so I suggest you stay seated for the story, young lady.”

Trying to process this, Elizabeta kept an open mind, even if she was a little confused.

“We were a boy and a girl. My sister, Alice, and I looked a lot alike when we were very small, or from what my father used to tell me, since our hair was short and well, our faces are kind of the same. My parents had some issues, and sadly, they separated. My father came to live here while my mother left to England, which is why you never got to meet Alice. She and I managed to send letters to each other as we grew up, and I managed to receive a letter from her before I was drafted to go to war. She had gone to France because she was tired of her living conditions with our mother, but after that, I wasn’t able to know much more. Until I went to France myself and met up with her.

It was hard for me at first, to accept what she had chosen to become, but I could not judge or blame her reasons. She told me that times were rough and there wasn’t much respect for women. If she wanted to get to do things, she would…have to take some desperate measures into her hands. So…you could say I do have a twin brother now…”

The Hungarian had been trying to follow what Gilbert was saying until that last bit. “She…became a man?!”

“Nein, she’s not a man! Well…you see, this is why I told you this has complications,” Gilbert said as he ran a hand through his hair to try to get his thought process back together. “She ditched the female attire and adopted male clothes, and cut her hair so she wouldn’t be _too_ suspicious.”

“Did she change her name, too, or do people still call her…him ‘Alice’?” Elizabeta asked, still struggling to digest the information.

“Well, I mean, if she wanted to be a man, she had to do the whole identity change with it,” Gilbert shrugged. “It’s not like records follow us around. She can say she’s Arthur Kirkland and people’ll believe her…him. Just to be on the safe side, let’s just say my twin sibling is a man. Oh, but he’s married and has two children, how ‘bout that?”

“Gilbert!” Elizabeta said. “You make that sound so light-hearted!” For the benefit of the doubt, she had to trust his word, though. “Does she at least get more respect as a man?”

“You bet. I’m not sure how she does it, but she’s able to fool everyone into thinking she has a dick, and that says a lot about her.”

“Was her husband okay with her decision, at least?” Elizabeta asked.

“He opposed it at first, from what she told me. But he supported her, afterwards, figuring if that’s what she wanted, then it was better for her to be comfortable and happy than to be miserable and grouchy about it. The only issue was that they had to leave France in order to avoid suspicion,” Gilbert explained.

“And where are they now?”

“Here. They were at the opera house with me that evening. Not sure if you got to see them,” Gilbert answered.

Elizabeta was impressed. If someone was able to make everyone believe they were a man, then she didn’t want to get on that person’s bad side. She had thought Gilbert was the only trickster, but she was wrong. This type of cleverness ran in the family.

\----

“Alfred, you need to eat your cabbage.”

“But it tastes funny and it’s green!”

“Love, it’s nutritious. If you want to be a strong man when you grow up, you need to be a good little boy and eat your vegetables.”

Alfred, the six year old that sat on the table with his twin brother, Matthew, pouted and looked at his plate. It was filled with the said cabbage, and other greens that his father, Arthur, claimed to be good for him. Alfred didn’t like them at all.

“Mon petit, it is best to listen to him. When has Mum ever been wrong?”

Alfred turned his attention to the man that came in through the kitchen door. His papa, Francis, carried a few things, which he let settle on the counter so they would not be in the way, and so that Arthur wouldn’t begin to scold him about leaving things in random places. Alfred laughed at the mention of ‘mum’ since he knew that Arthur didn’t necessarily like the nickname all too well.

“I guess you’re right…” Alfred admitted. “It still tastes weird.”

Letting out a sigh, Arthur shook his head at the boy. There was no doubt Alfred was just as stubborn as Francis and himself, but he couldn’t do much to fix that little feature of his. He patted his and Matthew’s hair before he walked towards the counter that contained the materials Francis brought.

“Have you three finished up with work?” he asked as he began to sort out the smaller supplies.

“Non. We still have a few more barrels to settle out before preparing them to be taken to the establishment,” Francis answered, wiping his forehead gently with the back of his hand.

It wasn’t as fancy as he would have wanted it to be, but it was still more than acceptable to Francis. After settling in their current home a few months prior, the Frenchman and his husband had decided to set up a restaurant in town to make a living. He took care of the cooking and Arthur managed the profits while their friends, Antonio and Gilbert, worked with them. It had been difficult at first, since they were new comers and both Francis’ and Arthur’s accents were rather thick while speaking in the new Germanic language, but after a few months, they were able to adapt and became a permanent part of their new society. At the moment, Francis had purchased supplies from a merchant ship from the Netherlands, something he never really did because it was always expensive to do business to with those types of people. He wanted quality, though, and if it would cost a little more than the usual, then so be it.

“Gilbert and Antonio are taking them off the ship, but I came to get a little more money. That Dutchman does not play around…” Francis said as he rolled his eyes.

“Make sure not to spend more than what we’re making, dear,” Arthur said with a stern voice.

“Je promets. I would just like to try something different, but if it does not make much of a difference, I will continue with our old sellers.” As he spoke, Francis looked through the little stash of money he and Arthur kept as their side bank for buying supplies.

Arthur sometimes wished he would be the one to purchase them, but he was told many times by Francis that he would cook them, and he knew what he needed, and how much of it. Thinking about these things, the Englishman couldn’t help thinking of something.

“If you get the chance… can you check to see if they sell whiskey? Or rum?”

Francis looked up at him with a mischievous grin and chuckled. “I thought you said to only spend money on what we can benefit from.”

Giving him a glare, Arthur frowned as he crossed his arms. “I also said, ‘If you get the chance’, frog.”

“What’s rum?” Alfred asked.

“And whiskey?” Matthew added, his voice quieter than his brother’s, but still rather distinctive.

“Can we try it?”

“It is something adults like to drink,” Francis answered. “It can be for stress or even to relax after a long day of labor.”

“But little boys like you two are too young to try those sorts of things. Or even know about them,” Arthur said as he patted their heads. He always did want to exclude some things he thought the boys could not handle, but Francis was always the one to tell them later on.

Winking at the boys, Francis placed the money carefully into his pocket. “I will try to return before sundown. That way, you two can help me skin the fish so we can prepare them for tomorrow.”

That was one of the things Arthur hadn’t approved. He didn’t want for his children to know how to do some things because he thought it was too gruesome for them, but Alfred and Matthew were always fascinated to learn new things. Especially if they were able to help their parents.

“Yay! Do we get to take out those bone things, too?” Alfred asked with enthusiasm.

Francis shook his head. “But you two can pat them gently or place them on a nice plate after Mum and I finish with that.”

As he blew them a kiss, Arthur walked towards him to lead him out. “Tell Gilbert I need to talk to him about something he asked for,” he said with a hushed tone.

“That is if I am able to catch him before he heads off after work. He has been leaving Antonio and me alone to finish up with our duties before it is time to walk out,” Francis informed.

Frowning, Arthur shook his head. “He needs to be careful. People will start to suspect things.”

Francis shrugged with a smile of resignation. “The man is in love, mon amour. And I do not think there is much we can do except to keep helping him.”

 It was easier said than done, however, when Francis realized Gilbert had ditched work _again_. When he returned to where he had left his two companions, he only found Antonio working. After spotting Francis, the Spaniard’s expression changed, trying to hide the fact that he was covering for Gilbert.

“Do not tell me you have been working alone for a long while,” Francis said as he approached him.

“Oh, no!” Antonio answered. “It is really not a bother, though, Francis.”

“It is not that. It is that working alone makes things…uneven, if that is the proper word to use,” Francis explained. “I will expand on that idea later, but for now, we must get these supplies to the restaurant.” He turned to look at the Nether that had sold him the barrels of fish and other goods, and walked towards him with a bag of coins. “You drive a hard bargain, but if you are as good as they say, then it is worth the price.”

“Just make sure not to take long the next time you buy from me. I don’t have all day.” What was his name again? Van Leeuwen?

“Oh, Ned, don’t be so hard on them! They just want to buy delicious fish from us!” A young lady stepped off from the ship and joined the three men on the dock. “Don’t listen to him. He will wait all the time in the world to make a sale, sir.”

Somehow, the girl’s smile made Francis less uncomfortable during the presence of her taller, older brother.

“Do you need help with that?” she asked as she turned to Antonio. “Even strong men like you need a little bit of it. Ned, go help him! You know how to handle those barrels, after all!”

“Belle, do not start with your generosity,” Ned muttered with a low voice.

“You don’t want them to spoil the fish if they make the barrels fall, now do you?”

“I could care less what happens to their supplies. They are not in my hands.”

Belle stared at him with a look that she knew would bother him. And once she knew she had fazed him, she smiled in content.

“Only because she requested it,” Ned sighed. “But next time, I will not be so lenient, or patient. You Frenchmen think we have all the time in the world, but we have to take care of other sales, too. And if you want me to help them, you will have to do your part, too, Belle,” he said, shifting his attention to his younger sister.

“I will keep watch of the ship, no worries!” the girl chirped.

Francis kept telling himself it was for the good of his restaurant, but grumbling Dutchmen was not what he bargained for…

He was glad the evening came quickly, though. He was able to get some work done at home, and he had made sure to get the word out to Gilbert through Antonio if he got the chance to see him later on. He guessed it worked since the Prussian came over to his humble home, a sly little smirk on his face.

“You look…satisfied,” the Frenchman said, a mischievous grin on his own face.

“Is it that obvious?” Gilbert asked as he crossed his arms.

“Well, you took longer than usual, so I assume something must’ve happened. And I will assume it is something very _interesting_.”

Sighing, Gilbert came in to Francis’ home and took a seat on one of the chairs. “You could say that. I like to call it a productive afternoon.”

“Before you get into your fascinating conversation, I have news for you.” Gilbert turned to look at Arthur when he approached him.

“You look like you’re rather serious about it, Arthur,” Gilbert teased as he gave his brother a little smile.

“I am always serious, though,” Arthur pointed out. “The owner of the opera house came to the restaurant today.”

This seemed to sound like useless information, but Gilbert figured Arthur had his reasons for telling him such a thing. “…And?”

“I think it would be convenient to start a conversation with him. He seems to be…well rounded about many topics,” Arthur said. “A topic of interest can be family.”

At the sound of the word, Gilbert’s eyes widened. Could it be true? Had…had that been the man his father had spoken about when he was younger? “Do you…think he knows about…?”

“He was talking about a baker and his father from Innsbruck to his companion. That he knew the father since they were young boys, and the man became distraught when his eldest son went to war,” Arthur explained. “I couldn’t hear much more since I couldn’t linger for too long around the table without picking up suspicions of my espionage episode.”

“You don’t think he knows father, do you?” Gilbert asked. It had been years since he had last seen his father and younger brother. When he had come back, they were gone, and he couldn’t help thinking the disappointment and abandonment hadn’t just started there. He had spent months looking for information about them, but people seemed to forget about their neighbors pretty quickly, which was a shame. It really didn’t help that his father wasn’t the friendliest person to begin with…

“He didn’t go into many descriptions, but I still suspect he may know him,” Arthur nodded. “It would be a good idea to ask. You never know. He could be a useful ally,” he added with a shrug.

“What makes you say that?” Gilbert wondered with an arched eyebrow.

“Italians are interesting people. Haven’t you heard they have a lot of creativity for the arts?” Arthur reminded, hiding his message in simple words that were actually quite cryptic. They could never be too careful in speaking to each other. He had stopped trusting the walls of his own home since he left England; it could be said he was paranoid, but maybe it was because his ears seemed to pick up a lot more information than what he usually asked for.

“Well, yeah, but I’m not sure how they would be useful with a paint brush,” Gilbert shook his head.

Francis had caught on, partly because he and Arthur had talked about it some time before Gilbert came over. “He doesn’t necessarily mean in painting. He means relations.”

Relations meant connections. Connections meant that there could be people out there that could help in a flash. It had been rumored that the owner of the opera house was one of the wealthier people in the town, and that he knew practically everyone in the western part of Europe. Anyone with a reputation, anyway. The art Arthur spoke about wasn’t indeed actual artwork. It was the art of communication, and if Gilbert wanted any ally on his side, it had to be the Italian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to work end notes yet. orz 
> 
> For clarification, in case I caused any sort of confusion. Once Eliza and Gilbert stop talking, where I do the break, I shift to the present time. That is, a few months after Gilbert and Elizabeta started their affair. Gilbert came back from having seen Elizabeta back in chapter one where they got intimate. That's why Francis said he looked rather satisfied. :3
> 
> I'm sorry to say I don't like nyo england. But I really love it when Arthur can have babies. Since I'm aware there are people that would probably get offended with my hermaphrodite!england headcanon, I decided I wouldn't make Arthur's background that difficult. Just really simple: Alice dresses as a man to get better respect.
> 
> Try to guess who the opera house owner is. I will reveal it in the next chapter, but just take a wild guess. I put in characters for a reason. :) 
> 
> Let me know what y'all think!
> 
> -Auto-


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